Connector

ABSTRACT

A connector (F) has a housing ( 10 ) for accommodating a terminal fitting ( 30 ) connected with wire (W). A seal ( 98 ) is mounted on the wire (W) and fits in a mounting portion ( 15 ) in the rear of the housing ( 10 ). A holder ( 50 ) is mounted on the housing ( 10 ) from behind to press the seal ( 98 ) and to prevent the seal ( 98 ) from coming out. The holder ( 50 ) has a wire insertion hole ( 55 ) for receiving the wire (W). The seal ( 98 ) has a main body ( 96 ) and a shake preventing portion ( 94 ). The main body ( 96 ) closely contacts the outer surface of the wire W and the inner surface of the mounting portion ( 15 ). The shake preventing portion ( 94 ) closely contacts the outer surface of the wire (W) and the inner surface of the wire insertion hole ( 55 ) of the holder ( 50 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a connector.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,106 discloses a connector with a housing foraccommodating a terminal fitting connected with an end of a wire. Asealing member is mounted on the wire and is fit into an opening at therear end of the housing. A rear holder is mounted on the housing frombehind to press and retain the sealing member. The rear holder is formedwith a wire insertion hole through which the wire is passed, and thewire is drawn out to the outside through the wire insertion hole. Therear holder also is formed with a resiliently deformable locking piecethat is engageable with an engaging portion on the circumferentialsurface of the housing. The locking piece engages the engaging portionwhen the rear holder is mounted properly on the housing to retain therear holder on the housing.

The above-described connector is connected with a mating connector toconnect the terminal fitting with a mating terminal fitting. However,the wire drawn out of the housing can be shaken in this state and cancause the wire in the housing to shake within the range of a clearancebetween the wire and the wire insertion hole. As a result, the terminalfittings might slide in contact with each other, and connected positionsof both terminal fittings can change to impair connection reliability.

The connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,106 has a terminalfitting connected with an end of a wire. The terminal fitting isinserted and held in a cavity of a housing, and a rubber plug is mountedon the end of the wire. A tubular mounting portion is formed at a rearpart of the connector housing and has an open rear surface. The rubberplug is held in close contact with the inner circumferential surface ofthe mounting portion. A cap-shaped rear holder is mounted on the rearpart of the housing for pressing the rubber plug from behind to retainthe rubber plug. A back wall of the rear holder is formed with a wireinsertion hole through which the wire is inserted. Further, the rearholder is formed with a resiliently deformable locking piece, and therear holder is fixed to the connector housing by the mutual engagementof this locking piece with an interlocking portion projecting from theconnector housing.

As noted above, the wire drawn out of the housing can be shakentransverse to the longitudinal direction and the shaking can cause thewire to press the inner surface of the wire insertion hole of the rearholder. These forces can disengage the interlocking portion and thelocking piece and can detach the rear holder from the mounting portion.

The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an objectthereof is to improve the overall operability of the connector,particularly by improving the connection reliability of a terminalfitting and/or by preventing a rear holder from being inadvertentlydetached from a mounting portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a connector with a housing for accommodating atleast one terminal fitting connected with an end of a wire. At least oneseal is mounted on the wire and is fit in an opening in the rear of thehousing to seal the inside of the housing. A rear holder is formed withat least one wire insertion hole for receiving the wire. The rear holderis mounted on the housing from behind adapted and presses the seal toprevent the seal from coming out. The seal has a main body and at leastone shake preventing portion arranged one after the other in forward andbackward directions. The main body closely contacts the outercircumferential surface of the wire and the inner circumferentialsurface of the opening. The shake preventing portion closely contactsthe outer circumferential surface of the wire and the innercircumferential surface of the wire insertion hole of the rear holder.

The wire drawn out of the housing may be shaken while the housing isconnected with a mating housing. However, the shake preventing portionof the seal mounted on this wire closely contacts the outercircumferential surface of the wire and the inner circumferentialsurface of the wire insertion hole of the holder to suppress the shakeof the wire in the housing. Thus, relative sliding movements of theterminal fitting connected with the end of this wire and a matingterminal fitting are avoided. Accordingly, connected positions of bothterminal fittings are kept substantially constant to improve connectionreliability. The seal fills a clearance between the wire insertion holeand the wire and corrects deviations of positional precision between thewire insertion hole and the wire, as compared to the case where theouter surface of the wire is held in close contact with the innersurface of the wire insertion hole.

The rear holder preferably has a rearwardly projecting tubular portionthat includes the wire insertion hole. The shake preventing portionclosely contacts the inner surface of the wire insertion hole in thetubular portion. Accordingly, the wire is contacted closely over thesubstantially entire length of the tubular portion to suppress shakingof the wire.

The inner circumferential surface of the wire insertion hole in thetubular portion preferably is tapered towards the rear end of thetubular portion, and the outer circumferential surface of the shakepreventing portion is tapered substantially in conformity with the innersurface of the wire insertion hole. As a result, a shake support of thetubular portion closely holds the shake preventing portion of the sealto suppress shaking of the wire. Therefore, a shaking force of the wireis less likely to be transmitted to the connected parts of the bothterminal fittings, thereby further improving the connection reliability.

The seal main body has a thickness to substantially fill a space betweenthe outer circumferential surface of the wire and the innercircumferential surface of the mounting portion and most preferably hasone lips on the inner and/or outer circumferential surfaces thereof.

The shake preventing portion preferably has substantially flat innerand/or outer circumferential surfaces.

The rear holder preferably has a substantially cap shape with a backwall and a surrounding wall. The surrounding wall projects forward fromthe back wall and is mountable on a mounting portion of the housing. Theback wall has at least one wire insertion hole that can receive the wiredrawn out through the respective surface of the housing. At least oneleading-end widened rib extends substantially in forward and backwarddirections and is provided on one or both of the inner circumferentialsurface of the surrounding wall and the outer circumferential surface ofthe mounting portion. The leading-end widening rib has a leading endthat is wider than a base end to define a dovetail or undercut shape. Atleast one recess is provided in the other surface at a positioncorresponding to the leading-end widened rib. The recess has a shapecomplementary to the leading-end widened rib for dovetail engagement.

The wire drawn out through the wire insertion hole of the holder may beshaken in a direction intersecting the forward and backward directions.As a result, there is a possibility that a pressing force will act onthe holder in a shaking direction of the wire, and the holder may bedetached from the housing. However, the leading-end widened rib andrecess provide a dovetail engagement to define a positive joint or aform closure when the holder is mounted. Therefore, the holder will notdetach from the housing even if the wire is shaken or the entireconnector receives vibration.

The leading-end widened rib or the recess at the inner surface of thesurrounding wall of the holder preferably extends substantially to theback wall of the holder to further prevent detachment of the holder.

The surrounding wall of the holder preferably is substantiallycylindrical and the leading-end widened rib is provided on the innercircumferential surface of the surrounding wall. The leading-end widenedrib may not be readily visible during mounting of the holder in view ofthe internal disposition of the leading-end widened rib. Accordingly, arecessed groove is formed in the outer circumferential surface of thesurrounding wall at a position substantially radially aligned with theleading-end widened rib to define a back-to-back relationship. Therecessed groove defines a marker to facilitate alignment of theinternally disposed leading-end widened rib with the recess. As aresult, the holder can be mounted precisely and efficiently on themounting portion. Further, the disposition of the recessed grooveback-to-back with the leading-end widened rib avoids an increase in thethickness of the surrounding wall and prevents an occurrence of asurface sink. Furthermore, the internal disposition of the leading-endwidened rib assures that the leading-end widened rib will not be caughtby external matter and broken.

The mounting portion preferably has a substantially tubular shape withan open rear end. The back wall of the holder includes an inner fittingto fit into the mounting portion. Thus, the mounting portion is heldbetween the inner fitting and the surrounding wall in the thicknessdirection and the outer circumferential surface of the inner fittingclosely contacts the inner circumferential surface of the mountingportion. Thus, the inner fitting remains closely fit in the mountingportion even if the wire is shaken a great amount for reliablypreventing detachment of the holder from the housing.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent upon reading of the followingdetailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.It should be understood that even though embodiments are separatelydescribed, single features thereof may be combined to additionalembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view in section of a connector according to a firstembodiment connected with a mating connector.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector connected with the matingconnector.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a female housing.

FIG. 4 is a side view in section of a rear holder.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the rear holder.

FIG. 6 is a side view in section of a seal.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the seal.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a connector according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view in section of the connector in a connected state.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a female housing.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the female housing.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the female housing.

FIG. 13 is a vertical section of an essential portion of the connectorshowing a state where a rear holder is mounted on a mounting portion.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the rear holder.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the rear holder.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the rear holder.

FIG. 17 is a side view partly in section showing an essential portion ofthe female housing.

FIG. 18 is a horizontal section of the female housing.

FIG. 19 is a horizontal section of the connector showing a state where atower is fitted in a receptacle.

FIG. 20 is a vertical section of an essential portion of the connectorshowing the state where the tower is fit in the receptacle.

FIG. 21 is a side view in section of a male housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A connector in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention isidentified by the letter F in FIGS. 1 to 7. The connector F has a femalehousing 10 for accommodating a female terminal fitting 30 and a rearholder 50 to be mounted on the female housing 10 from a mounting sideMS. The female housing 10 is connectable with a mating male housing 90.The connector F further has a seal 98 for providing fluid- or waterproofsealing between the female housing 10 and the terminal fitting 30 and aseal ring 97 for providing fluid- or waterproof sealing between thefemale and male housings 10 and 90. Ends of the female and male housings10, 90 to be connected are referred to herein as the front endsconcerning forward and backward directions FBD and reference is made toFIG. 1 concerning the vertical direction.

The mating male housing 90 is made e.g. of a synthetic resin andincludes a round tubular receptacle 91 having an open front end. Onemale tab 92 is mounted through the back wall of the receptacle 91. Themale tab 92 is a plate made of an electrically conductive material, suchas a metal, and has a plate surface aligned along forward and backwarddirections FBD. Part of the male tab 92 projects into the receptacle 91.A lock 95 projects at an upper end part of the outer circumferentialsurface of the receptacle 91.

The female housing 10 is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and has oppositefront and rear ends. A tower 13 is provided at the front end and can befit into the receptacle 91 of the male housing 90. A fitting tube 14 isspaced outwardly from the tower 13 and the receptacle 91 can be insertedbetween the tower 13 and the fitting tube 14. A round tubular mountingportion 15 extends unitarily rearward from the tower 13, and has alarger diameter than the tower 13, but smaller a smaller diameter thanthe fitting tube 14. A cavity 16 penetrates the tower 13 in forward andbackward directions FBD and communicates with the inner space of themounting portion 15. One terminal fitting 30 is inserted from behindthrough the inner space of the mounting portion 15 and into the cavity16.

The terminal fitting 30 has a substantially box-shaped main portion 31for receiving the male tab 92. A wire connection barrel 32 is continuouswith the rear end of the main portion 31 and can be crimped, bent orfolded into connection with an exposed core at an end of a wire W. Themain portion 31 can be fit into the cavity 16 of the tower 13 while thebarrel 32 is arranged in the inner space of the fitting tube 14. Themain portion 31 is formed with a locking hole 33 for receiving a lock 17provided at the inner wall of the cavity 16 to retain the terminalfitting 30 in the cavity 16.

A seal 98 made of a resilient material, such as rubber, is mounted onthe wire W behind the barrel 32. The seal 98 is inserted into themounting portion 15 from behind and at the mounting side MS.Additionally, the seal 98 closely contacts the inner circumferentialsurface of the mounting portion 15 and the outer circumferential surfaceof the wire W to provide sealing between these two surfaces. The seal 98also is fit into the wire insertion hole 55 formed in the rear holder50, as described in detail later.

A tab insertion opening 13A is formed in the front surface of the tower13 for permitting the insertion of the male tab 92. More particularly,the tab insertion opening 13A is a slit that extends in the widthdirection and substantially normal to the forward and backwarddirections FBD. The front surface of the main portion 31 faces the rearsurface of the tab insertion opening 13A. A coupling 23 is formed at therear end of the tower 13 and projects radially out to be continuous withthe rear end of the fitting tube 14. A seal ring 97 made of resilientmaterial, such as rubber, is mounted on the outer circumferentialsurface of a rear part of the tower 13 before the coupling 23. The sealring 97 closely contacts the inner circumferential surface of thereceptacle 91 and the outer circumferential surface of the tower 13 toprovide sealing between these two surfaces when the two housings 10, 90are connected properly. Windows 18 are formed on the opposite left andright sides of the fitting tube 14 at positions corresponding to theseal ring 97, so that the leading end of the receptacle 91 can be seenthrough the windows 18 when the two housings 10, 90 are connectedproperly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lock arm 12 extends in forward and backwarddirections FBD at an upper part of the female housing 10. The lock arm12 is pivotally and resiliently displaceable like a seesaw in and out(up and down) with a center on a support 24 at a position substantiallycorresponding to the coupling 23. A front part of the lock arm 12 isarranged between the fitting tube 14 and the tower 13, whereas a rearpart is exposed above of the mounting portion 15. An operable portion 25is elevated slightly at the rear of the lock arm 12 and can be pressedfor unlocking. An arm accommodating portion 14A bulges out at an upperpart of the fitting tube 14 and has a substantially gate-shaped crosssection to accommodate the lock arm 12. An operation window 26 is cutout at the rear of the upper wall of the arm accommodating portion 14Aand is used to operate the lock arm 12. The operable portion 25 of thelock arm 12 can be operated by a finger or hand of an operator insertedthrough the operation window 26 for unlocking.

A lock groove 27 extends in forward and backward directions FBD on thelock arm 12 and opens at the rear of the lock arm 12. The lock 95 fitsin the lock groove 27 and engages the front end of the lock groove 27when the housings 10, 90 are connected properly to lock the housings 10,90 together.

As shown in FIG. 3, left and right interlocking portions 34 project fromthe outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15 at anintermediate part of the mounting portion 15 with respect to forward andbackward directions FBD. The interlocking portions 34 are resilientlyengageable with locking pieces 51 at the rear holder 50. Rear guidingsurfaces of the interlocking portions are sloped out and up towards thefront, whereas front locking surfaces are substantially vertical.

U-shaped frames 35 are formed partly around the interlocking portions 34on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15. Theframes 35 expose only rear areas of the interlocking portions 34 and arearranged along the sides of the locking pieces 51 after the rear holder50 is mounted. Thus, the frames 35 prevent external matter fromdeforming the locking pieces 51 inadvertently in a way that could unlockthe rear holder 50.

A guiding rib 36 extends in forward and backward directions FBD at thebottom of the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15.Four circumferentially spaced recesses 37 are formed in the outercircumferential surface of the mounting portion 15. The recesses 37 arein the form of dovetail or undercut grooves with cross sections thatgradually widened as they get deeper. The recesses 37 are substantiallyequally spaced in the circumferential direction at intervals of about90°.

The rear holder 50 is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and effectively isa cap that is mountable from behind on the mounting side MS of themounting portion 15, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This rear holder 50includes a disk-shaped back wall 53 and a substantially cylindricalsurrounding wall 54 that projects forward from a peripheral edge of theback wall 53. The surrounding wall 54 fits on the mounting portion 15and the back wall 53 can substantially close the opening of the mountingportion 15 and can retain the seal 98.

A wire insertion hole 55 is formed substantially in the center of theback wall 53 and can receive the wire W. A truncated conical tube 56projects back from the back wall 53 and tapers to smaller diameters atfarther distances from the back wall 53 and at positions closer to theprojecting end PE. The wire insertion hole 55 continues through the tube56 and communicates with the inner space of the mounting portion 15. Arear part of the seal 98 fits into the wire insertion hole 55 and thetube 56.

The seal 98 is formed unitarily to include a main body 96 and a shakepreventing portion 94 that are arranged one after the other in forwardand backward directions FBD, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The main body 96can be fit into the inner space of the mounting portion 15 and has athickness to substantially fill a space between the outercircumferential surface of the wire W and the inner circumferentialsurface of the mounting portion 15. Circumferential lips 93 are formedon the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the main body 96. Thelips 93 closely contact the outer circumferential surface of the wire Wand the inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15 whilebeing compressed in the radial direction when the seal 98 is mountedinto the mounting portion 15.

The shake preventing portion 94 projects back from a center part of therear surface of the main body 96 and is aligned substantially coaxiallywith the main body 96. Substantially smooth inner and outercircumferential surfaces extend along the shake preventing portion 94,with no lips corresponding to the lips 93 on the main body 96. The innercircumferential surface of the shake preventing portion 94 alignssubstantially with portions of the inner circumferential surface of themain body 96 between the lips 93 and is shaped substantially inconformity with the outer circumferential surface of the wire W. Theouter circumferential surface of the shake preventing portion 94 has aconical or trunco-conical shape substantially corresponding to the shapeof the tube 56. In a natural state, the inner circumferential surface ofthe shake preventing portion 94 has an inner diameter slightly smallerthan the outer diameter of the wire W and the outer circumferentialsurface thereof has an outer diameter slightly larger than the innerdiameter of the tubular portion 56. Accordingly, the shake preventingportion 94 closely contacts the outer circumferential surface of thewire W and the inner circumferential surface of the tube 56 while beingcompressed between the two surfaces when the seal 98 is mounted into themounting portion 15. Thus, the wire W in the tubular portion 56 is keptsubstantially straight in forward and backward directions FBD and willnot buckle.

An inner fitting portion 58 project forward from the front surface ofthe back wall 53 except the outer periphery thereof. The inner fittingportion 58 has an outer peripheral surface substantially concentric withthe back wall 53 and an inner peripheral surface continuous with thetube 56. The front surface of the inner fitting portion 58 issubstantially flat and substantially normal to the forward and backwarddirections FBD to achieve substantially surface contact with the rearsurface of the seal 98. This inner fitting portion 58 is fit closelyinto the mounting portion 15 so that the outer circumferential surfaceof the inner fitting portion closely contacts the inner circumferentialsurface of the mounting portion 15. A fitting space is defined betweenthe outer circumferential surface of the inner fitting portion 58 andthe inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15 andreceives a rear edge of the mounting portion 15.

A bulge 61 of U-shaped cross section projects radially out at bottompart of the surrounding wall 54, and a guidable groove 52 extends inforward and backward directions FBD in the bulge 61. The guiding rib 36engages in the guidable groove 52 of the bulge 61 to guide the mountingof the rear holder 50 into the mounting portion 15 and to preventrotation of the rear holder 50 about its central axis CA. The bulge 61interferes with the rear opening edge of the mounting portion 15 if anattempt is made to mount the rear holder 50 in an improper posture andprevents further mounting. Thus, the improper posture of the rear holder50 can be recognized at the start of the mounting operation of the rearholder 50.

The locking pieces 51 are formed at the left and right sides of thesurrounding wall 54 for engaging the respective interlocking portions 34of the mounting portion 15 Each locking piece 51 is a substantiallyU-shaped frame that is resiliently deformable in and out between a pairof slits 62 that extend back from the front end of the surrounding wall54. Each locking piece 51 has a locking groove that is open at the rearend of the locking piece 51, but closed at the front end of the lockingpiece 51. The front ends of the locking pieces 51 move onto theinterlocking portions 34 in the process of mounting the rear holder 50on the mounting portion 15 and deform the locking pieces 51. Theinterlocking portions 34 enter the locking grooves 63 when the rearholder 50 is properly mounted and the locking pieces 51 resilientlyrestore. Thus, the rear holder 50 is locked on the mounting portion 15.

As shown in FIG. 5, four ribs 64 are formed on the inner circumferentialsurface of the surrounding wall 64. Each rib 64 has an isoscelestrapezoidal or undercut cross section that gradually widens from thebase end toward the leading end. The four ribs 64 are spacedsubstantially equally apart at circumferential intervals of about 90°.The ribs 64 are at positions substantially corresponding to the recesses37 when the rear holder 50 is opposed to the mounting portion 15 and areengageable with the dovetail recesses 37 to lock the ribs 64 and therecesses 37 in radial directions.

Recessed grooves 65 are formed on the outer circumferential surface ofthe surrounding wall 54 at positions aligned radially with the ribs 64,so that the grooves 65 and the ribs 64 are back-to-back. The recessedgrooves 65 have a shallow arcuate cross section and extend substantiallyin forward and backward directions FBD along substantially along theentire length of the surrounding wall 54.

To assemble the connector, the terminal fitting 30 connected with theend of the wire W is inserted into the cavity 16 of the female housing10. The terminal fitting 30 enters the tower 13 from the mountingportion 15 and is locked by the resilient lock 17 in the tower 13.

Then, the seal 98 mounted on the end of the wire W is fit and held inthe mounting portion 15, and the rear holder 50 having the wire Winserted through the wire insertion hole 55 is mounted from behind onthe outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 15. At thistime, the guiding rib 36 of the mounting portion 15 is inserted into theentrance of the guidable groove 52 of the rear holder 50, and the ribs64 of the rear holder 50 are inserted into the respective entrances ofthe recesses 37 of the mounting portion 15. The ribs 64 are positionedprecisely with respect to the recesses 37 and engaged therewith byaligning the recessed grooves 65 on the outer circumferential surface ofthe rear holder 50 with the mating recesses 37. The rear holder 50 ispushed forward in this state along the recesses 37. Thus, the frames 35of the mounting portion 15 enter the slits 62 of the surrounding wall 54and the leading ends of the locking pieces 51 slide along the guidingsurfaces of the interlocking portions 34 to deform the locking pieces51. The inner fitting portion 58 of the back wall 53 fits into the rearopening edge of the mounting portion 15 when the rear holder 50 ismounted on the mounting portion 15 to a proper depth and retains theseal 98 in the mounting portion 15. Additionally, the interlockingportions 34 are fit into the locking grooves 63 as the locking pieces 51resiliently restore. The locking pieces 51 engage the locking surfacesof the interlocking portions 34 in a detaching direction of the rearholder 50 to retain the rear holder 50 reliably. The rear holder 50 thathas been mounted properly mounted on the mounting portion 15 is held inclose contact with the outer circumferential surface of the seal 98 fromthe inner surface of the back wall 53 to the inner surface of the tube56.

Next, the tower 13 is fit into the receptacle 91 of the mating malehousing 90. The lock arm 12 engages the lock 95 when the female and malehousing 10, 90 are connected properly to lock the housings 10, 90 intoeach other. Further, the male tab 92 is inserted to a proper depth inthe main portion 31 of the terminal fitting 30 when the housings 10, 90are connected properly to connect the terminal fittings 30, 92.Additionally, the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle 91closely contacts the outer circumferential surface of the seal ring 97to provide sealing between the two housings 10, 90.

The wire W drawn out from the female housing 10 may be shaken in adirection intersecting the forward and backward directions FBD after thetwo housings 10, 90 are connected. However, the wire W cannot shake inthe mounting portion 15. Additionally, the terminal fitting 30 connectedwith the end of this wire W is not shaken, since the wire W is held bythe shake preventing portion 94 of the seal 98 at a positioncorresponding to the tubular portion 56 of the rear holder 50 and cannotmake loose movements.

As described above, even if the wire W drawn out from the female housing10 is shaken when the female and male housings 10, 90 are connectedproperly, the shakes of the wire W and the terminal fitting 30 in thefemale housing 10 are suppressed by the close contact of the shakepreventing portion 94 of the seal 98 mounted on the wire W with theouter circumferential surface of the wire W and the innercircumferential surface of the wire insertion hole 55. Therefore theconnected positions of the two terminal fittings 30, 92 are keptconstant to improve connection reliability.

The clearance between the wire insertion hole 55 and the wire W isfilled by the seal 98. Thus, the connector accommodates a deviation ofpositional precision that can be created between the wire insertion hole55 and the wire W. The connector distinguishes in this regard from priorart connectors where the outer circumferential surface of the wire W isheld directly in close contact with the inner circumferential surface ofthe wire insertion hole. More particularly, the inner circumferentialsurface of the wire insertion hole and the outer circumferential surfaceof the wire of prior art connectors cannot be kept in close contact ifthe diameter of the wire insertion hole and the outer diameter of thewire deviate from specified values due to dimensional errors. However,according to this embodiment, dimensional errors of the diameter of thewire insertion hole 55 and the outer diameter of the wire W can beabsorbed by interposing the resiliently compressible seal 98 between thewire insertion hole 55 and the wire W. Therefore the innercircumferential surface of the wire insertion hole 55 and the outercircumferential surface of the wire W can be kept in close contact.

The shake preventing portion 94 is held in close contact with the innercircumferential surface of the wire insertion hole 55 in the tube 56,and the wire W is held in contact with the tube 56 over the entirelength of the tube 56. Therefore shake of the wire W in the femalehousing 10 is suppressed reliably.

The inner circumferential surface of the wire insertion hole 55 in thetube 56 is tapered toward the back and the outer circumferential surfaceof the shake preventing portion 94 is tapered substantially inconformity with the inner circumferential surface of the wire insertionhole 55. The wire W drawn out through the wire insertion hole 55 may beshaken. However, a shake supporting part is held closely by the shakepreventing portion 94 to suppress the shaking movement. Accordingly, ashaking force of the wire W is less likely to be transmitted to theconnected portions of the both terminal fittings 30, 92, and connectionreliability is improved further.

A connector according to a second embodiment of the invention isidentified by the letter F in FIGS. 8 to 21. The connector F has afemale housing 110 for accommodating a female terminal fitting 130 and arear holder 150 to be mounted on the female housing 110 from a mountingside MS. The female housing 110 is connectable with a mating malehousing 190. The connector F also has a detector 199 for detecting aconnected state of the female and male housings 110, 190. In thefollowing description, ends of the female and male housings 110, 190 tobe connected are referred to as the front ends concerning forward andbackward directions FBD and reference is made to FIG. 8 concerning thevertical direction.

The mating male housing 190 is made of a synthetic resin and includes around tubular receptacle 191 with an open front end, as shown in FIG.21. A male tab 192 is mounted through the back wall of the receptacle191 and projects into the receptacle 191. The male tab 192 is a platemade of an electrically conductive material, such as metal, and has aplate surface aligned along forward and backward directions FBD. Eightribs 193 are formed on the inner circumferential surface of thereceptacle 191 and extend in forward and backward directions FBD atpositions spaced circumferentially at intervals of about 45°. The ribs193 have substantially identical rectangular cross sections andsubstantially the same length in forward and backward directions FBD.Additionally, the ribs 193 extend from the back end of the receptacle191 to a position slightly behind the front edge of the receptacle 191.

As shown in FIG. 20, left and right guide ribs 194 bulge out sidewaysfrom bottom parts of the opposite lateral sides of the outer surface ofthe receptacle 191 and extend in substantially forward and backwarddirections FBD. A lock 195 projects at an upper portion of the outercircumferential surface of the receptacle 191. The lock 195 isengageable with a lock arm 112 of the female housing 110. Left and rightprotection walls 196 project out from the outer circumferential surfaceof the receptacle 191 at opposite sides of the lock 195 and extend insubstantially forward and backward directions FBD. The protection walls196 protect the lock 195 and are arranged at opposite sides of the lockarm 112 when the two housings 110, 190 are connected. Left and rightunlocking portions 189 project unitarily out from the front ends of theouter sides of the protection walls 196. The unlocking portions 189interfere with the detector 199 assembled into the female housing 110when the housings 110, 190 are connected properly to cancel a state ofthe detector 199 locked into the female housing 110.

The female housing 110 is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and hasopposite front and rear ends. A tower 113 is formed at the front end andcan be fit into the mating receptacle 191. A tube 114 surrounds thetower 113 and is spaced out from the tower 113 sufficiently for thereceptacle 191 to be inserted therebetween. A mounting portion 115extends unitarily back from the tower 113 and the rear holder 150 can bemounted on the mounting portion 115 from the rear or mounting side MS.Guides 111 bulge out sideways at the bottom left and right parts of thetube 114 and extend over substantially the entire length in forward andbackward directions FBD. The guides 111 can receive the guide ribs 194of the receptacle 191 from the front to guide the connecting operationof the two housings 110, 190. The mounting portion 115 has a roundtubular shape, and is larger than the tower 113 but smaller than thetube 114. A cavity 116 penetrates the tower 113 in forward and backwarddirections FBD and communicates with the inner space of the mountingportion 115. A terminal fitting 130 is insertable through the innerspace of the mounting portion 115 and into the cavity 116.

The terminal fitting 130 has a box-shaped main portion 131 and a barrel132 that is continuous with the rear end of the main portion 131. Themain portion 131 is configured to fit in the cavity 116 of the tower 113without loose movement and further is configured to receive the maleterminal fitting. The barrel 132 is configured to be crimped, bent orfolded into connection with an exposed core at the end of a wire W andis arranged in the inner space of the tube 114. A seal 198 made ofresilient material, such as rubber, is mounted on the wire W behind thebarrel 132 and is inserted into the mounting portion 115 from the rearor mounting side MS. Thus, the seal 198 closely contacts the innercircumferential surface of the mounting portion 115 and the outercircumferential surface of the wire W to provide sealing between thesetwo surfaces. The main portion 131 is formed with a locking hole 133 forreceiving a lock 117 on the inner wall of the cavity 116 to retain theterminal fitting 130 in the cavity 116.

A tab insertion opening 113A is formed in the front surface of the tower113 for receiving the male tab 192. The tab insertion opening 113A isslit extending in the width direction and the front surface of the mainportion 131 faces the tab insertion opening 113A. A seal ring 197 madeof resilient material, such as rubber, is mounted on the rear part ofthe outer circumferential surface of the tower 113. The seal ring 197closely contacts the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle 191and the outer circumferential surface of the tower 113 to providesealing between these two surfaces when the two housings 110, 190 areconnected properly. Windows 118 are formed on the opposite left andright sides of the tube 114 at positions corresponding to the seal ring197, so that the leading end of the receptacle 191 can be seen throughthe windows 118 when the two housings 110, 190 are connected properly.

Rib receiving potions 119 are circumferentially spaced on the outersurface of the tower 113 and extend in forward and backward directionsFBD. The respective rib receiving portions 119 are arranged to face theribs 193 on the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle 191 sothat their projecting end surfaces contact when the two housings 110,190 are connected. As shown in FIG. 20, the rib receiving portions 119include irregularly-shaped ribs 120 with projecting ends that are widerthan the base ends.

The irregularly-shaped ribs 120 are arranged substantially symmetricallyon the left and right surfaces of the tower 113 with respect to acentral axis. The irregularly shaped ribs 120 at the opposite ends ofthe side surfaces in height direction are dovetail ribs 121 having anundercut cross section and those located in the middle of the sidesurfaces in height direction are substantially T-shaped ribs 122 havinga T-shaped cross section. The projecting end surfaces of both thedovetail ribs 121 and the T-shaped ribs 122 have arcuate shapesextending substantially along an imaginary arc concentric with the innercircumferential surface of the tube 114. Clearances defined between thedovetail ribs 121 and the T-shaped ribs 122 are mold removal spacesformed by removing pins during molding.

Each T-shaped rib 122 includes a supporting strut 122A that bulgesradially out to the outer circumferential surface of the tower 113 and areceiving base 122B extending substantially normal to an extendingdirection of the supporting strut 122A. The T-shaped ribs 122 extendfrom the front end of the tower 113 to an intermediate position inforward and backward directions FBD. The rear ends of the T-shaped rib122 are slightly before or adjacent to the front end of the seal 198.The receiving base 122B can support the mating rib 193 over thesubstantially entire formation range thereof so and absorbs displacementof the rib 193 within this formation range.

As shown in FIG. 17, each receiving base 122B is gradually widened fromthe front end towards the rear end to narrow the clearances to thedovetail ribs 121 towards the back side. The rib receiving portions 119except the irregularly shaped ribs 120 are arranged on the upper andlower surfaces of the tower 113 and are bored inside to have atunnel-shaped cross section. Out of these tunnel-shaped ribs, the insideof the tunnel-shaped rib on the lower surface of the tower 113 is partof a mold removal space formed as the lock 117 is formed. Further, acoupling portion 123 bulges radially out at the rear end of the tower113 so as to be continuous with the rear end of the tube 114.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lock arm 112 extends in forward and backwarddirections FBD at an upper part of the female housing 110. The lock arm112 is resilient and is pivotally displaceable like a seesaw up and downor towards and away the housing with a center on a support 124 providedat a position substantially corresponding to the coupling 123. A frontportion of the lock arm 112 is arranged between the tube 114 and thetower 113, whereas a rear portion thereof is exposed above the mountingportion 115. An operable portion 125 is slightly elevated at the rearend of the lock arm 112 and can be pressed for unlocking. An armaccommodating portion 114A bulges at an upper part of the tube 114 tohave an inverted U-shaped cross section, and the lock arm 112 isarranged inside the arm accommodating portion 114A. A rear part of thearm accommodating portion 114A is continuous with the upper surface ofthe mounting portion 115, and an operation window 126 is cut out in theupper wall of the arm accommodating portion 114A. The operable portion125 of the lock arm 112 is operated by a finger or hand of an operatorinserted through the operation window hole 126 for unlocking.

A lock groove 127 extends in forward and backward directions FBD alongthe lock arm 11 and is open at the rear end of the lock arm 112. Thelock 195 fits into the lock groove 127 when the two housings 110, 190are connected properly and engages the front end of the lock groove 127to lock the housings 110, 190 together. The detector 199 is fit into thelock groove 127 of the lock arm 112 from behind. The detector 199 isdisplaceable between a push-in preventing position where the detector199 is engaged partly with the lock groove 127 and a detecting positionreached by pushing the detector 199 forward from the push-in preventingposition for proper engagement with the lock groove 127. Rail grooves128 extend in forward and backward directions FBD in the inner surfacesof the opposite side walls of the arm accommodating portion 114A, andstoppers 129 engageable with left and right legs 199A on the detector199 are formed at intermediate positions of the rail grooves 128 withrespect to the length direction. The stoppers 129 engage the legs 199Ato hold the detector 199 at the push-in preventing position. Theunlocking portions 189 of the receptacle 191 interfere with the leadingends of the legs 199A as the two housings 110, 190 are connectedproperly, and lift the legs 199A out and up. Thus, the legs 199A and thestoppers 129 disengage and permit the detector 199 to be pushed to thedetecting position. Accordingly, an operator knows that the two housings110, 190 are connected properly if the detector 199 can be pushed andknows that the housings 110, 190 are connected only partly if thedetector 199 cannot be pushed in.

Left and right interlocking portions 134 project from an intermediatepart the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 115 withrespect to forward and backward directions FBD. The interlockingportions 134 are resiliently engageable with respective locking pieces151 at the rear holder 150. An inclined guide surface is defined on therear of each interlocking portion 134 and a vertical locking surface isdefined on the front end of each interlocking portion 134.

U-shaped frames 135 are formed on the outer circumferential surface ofthe mounting portion 115 and around all but the ends of the interlockingportions 134, as shown in FIG. 10. The frames 135 are arranged along theside edges of the locking pieces 151 after the rear holder 150 ismounted, and prevent the locking pieces 151 from being inadvertentlydeformed by external matter.

A guiding rib 136 extends in forward and backward directions FBD at thebottom end of the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion115, and is engageable with a guidable groove 152 in the rear holder150. As shown in FIG. 11, four circumferentially spaced recesses 137 areformed in the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 115.The recesses 137 are dovetail or undercut grooves with cross sectionsthat gradually widened as they get deeper. The four recesses 137 areequally spaced at circumferential intervals of about 90° and extendsubstantially in forward and backward directions FBD. The rear ends ofthe recesses are exposed at the open rear end of the mounting portion115 and the front ends thereof are at the same position as the rear endof the arm accommodating portion 114A of the tube 114 with respect toforward and backward directions FBD. The left and right upper recesses137 are continuous with the base ends of the opposite side walls of thearm accommodating portion 114A.

The rear holder 150 is made of a synthetic resin and defines a capshape, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16. More particularly, the rear holder150 includes a substantially disk-shaped back wall 153 and asubstantially cylindrical surrounding wall 154 projects forward from theperipheral edge of the back wall 153. The surrounding wall 154 isfittable on the mounting portion 115 form behind and the back wall 153can partly close the opening of the mounting portion 115 to retain theseal 198.

A wire insertion hole 155 is formed in the center of the back wall 153and can receive the wire W. A substantially cylindrical tube 156projects back from the rear surface of the back wall 153, and a wireinsertion path 157 extends through the tube 156. The wire insertion path157 communicates coaxially with the wire insertion hole 155 and has thesame diameter as the wire insertion hole 155. The wire W connected withthe terminal fitting 130 is inserted through and held in the wireinsertion hole 155 and in the wire insertion path 157, while havingloose movements thereof prevented. A length of the tube 156 in forwardand backward directions FBD is less than the length of the surroundingwall 154, preferably less than about ⅔ of the length of the surroundingwall 154, most preferably about half the length of the surrounding wall154. Further, an inner fitting 158 projects forward from the inner frontsurface of the back wall 153 except the outer peripheral edge thereof.This inner fitting 158 has an outer peripheral edge substantiallyconcentric with the back wall 153 and an inner peripheral edge definingthe wire insertion hole 155. The front surface of the inner fitting 158is a substantially vertical flat surface that it can be heldsubstantially in surface contact with the rear surface of the seal 198.This inner fitting 158 fits closely into the mounting portion 115 sothat the outer circumferential surface of the inner fitting 158 closelycontacts the inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 115.A fitting space is defined between the outer circumferential surface ofthe inner fitting 158 and the inner circumferential surface of themounting portion 115 and receives a rear opening edge of the mountingportion 115. Recesses 159 are formed in the outer rear surface of theback wall 153 at positions corresponding to the inner fitting 158 toprevent surface sinks in the back wall 153.

A bulge 161 extends in forward and backward directions FBD on the bottomof the surrounding wall 154 of the rear holder 150. The bulge 161 has aU-shaped cross section, and a guidable groove 152 is formed in thisbulge 161. The guiding rib 136 of the mounting portion 136 engages theguidable groove 152 of the bulge 161 to guide the mounting of the rearholder 150 on the mounting portion 136 and to prevent rotation of therear holder 150 about its central axis. The bulge 161 interferes withthe rear opening edge of the mounting portion 115 if an attempt is madeto mount the rear holder 150 on the mounting portion 115 in an improperposture to hinder any further mounting. Thus, the improper posture ofthe rear holder 150 can be recognized at the start of the mountingoperation of the rear holder 150.

Locking pieces 151 are formed at the left and right sides of thesurrounding wall 154 and engage with the interlocking portions 134 ofthe mounting portion 115. Each locking piece 151 is substantially aU-shaped frame, and is resiliently deformable in and out between upperand lower slits 162 that open at the front end of the surrounding wall154 and extending backward. A rearwardly open locking groove 163 extendsback along the locking piece 151, but is not open at the front end ofthe locking piece 151. The front ends of the locking pieces 151 moveonto the interlocking portions 134 in the process of mounting the rearholder 150 on the mounting portion 115 and hence the locking pieces 151deform. The interlocking portions 134 align with the locking grooves 163when the rear holder 150 is mounted properly and the locking pieces 151restore resiliently to engage the interlocking portions 134 for lockingthe rear holder 150 on the mounting portion 115.

Four leading-end widened ribs 164 are provided on the innercircumferential surface of the surrounding wall 154 and are spaced apartat circumferential intervals of about 90°. Each leading-end widened rib164 has an isosceles trapezoidal cross section that gradually widensfrom the base end towards the projecting end. The leading-end widenedribs 164 extend over substantially the entire length of the surroundingwall 154 in forward and backward directions FBD, so that the front endsthereof are near a front opening edge of the rear holder 150 and therear ends thereof are near the front surface of the back wall 153. Thelocking pieces 151 are between and substantially equidistant from theleading-end widened ribs 164 on the corresponding side of the rearholder 150. The leading-end widened ribs 164 are at positions to facethe recesses 137 when the rear holder 150 is opposed to the mountingportion 115 and are engageable with the dovetail recesses 137. Thus, theleading-end widened ribs 164 and the recesses 137 lock to each other inradial directions.

Recessed grooves 165 are formed in the outer circumferential surface ofthe surrounding wall 154 at positions aligned radially with theleading-end widened ribs 164 to define a back-to-back relationship. Therecessed grooves 165 have a shallow arcuate cross section and extend inforward and backward directions FBD over the entire length of thesurrounding wall 154. The recessed grooves 165 and the leading-endwidened ribs 164 are substantially transversely symmetrical with respectto an axial line along a radial direction.

The connector is assembled by first inserting the terminal fitting 130connected with the end of the wire W into the cavity 116 of the femalehousing 110. The terminal fitting 130 passes through the mountingportion 115 and is locked in the tower 113 by the lock 117. The seal 198mounted on the end of the wire W is fit and held in the mounting portion115 as the terminal fitting 130 is inserted properly into the cavity116. Further, the seal ring 197 is mounted on the rear end of the tower113. The wire W is inserted through the wire insertion hole 155 and thewire insertion path 157 of the rear holder 150, and the rear holder 150is held on standby at an intermediate position of the wire W along itsextending direction.

The rear holder 150 then is mounted on the mounting portion 115 frombehind. At this time, the guiding rib 136 of the mounting portion 115 isinserted into the entrance of the guidable groove 152 of the rear holder150, and the leading-end widened ribs 164 of the rear holder 150 areinserted into the entrances of the recesses 137 of the mounting portion115. The leading-end widened ribs 164 are positioned precisely in therecesses 137 by aligning the recessed grooves 165 in the outercircumferential surface of the rear holder 150 with the mating recesses137. The rear holder 150 then is pushed forward along the recesses 137in this state. As a result, the frames 135 of the mounting portion 115enter the slits 162 of the surrounding wall 154 from the front and theleading ends of the locking pieces 151 slide onto the guiding surfacesof the interlocking portions 134 to deform the locking pieces 151. Theinner fitting portion 158 of the back wall 153 fits into the rearopening edge of the mounting portion 115 when the rear holder 150 ismounted on the mounting portion 115 to a proper depth and retains theseal 198 in the mounting portion 115. Additionally, the interlockingportions 134 fit into the locking grooves 163 as the locking pieces 151are restored resiliently. The locking pieces 151 engage the lockingsurfaces of the interlocking portions 134 in a detaching direction ofthe rear holder 150 to retain the rear holder 150 reliably. The frontends of the leading-end widened ribs 164 are held in contact with thefront surfaces of the recesses 137 and the locking pieces 151 aresurrounded by the frames 135 of the mounting portion 115 when the rearholder 150 is mounted on the mounting portion 115 to a proper depth.

The tower 113 then is fit into the receptacle 191 of the mating malehousing 190. The lock arm 112 resiliently engages the lock 195 to lockthe two housings 110, 190 together when the female and male housing 110,190 are connected properly with each other. Additionally, the unlockingportions 189 unlock the detector 199 and the detector 199 is pushed into the detecting position. An operator knows that the two housings 110,190 are left partly connected if the detector 199 cannot be pushed in.Therefore the two housings 110, 190 connected more deeply to reach aproperly connected state. Further, the male tab 192 is inserted to aproper depth in the main portion 131 of the terminal fitting 130 whenthe two housings 110, 190 are connected properly to connect the terminalfittings 30, 192 and the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle191 closely contacts the outer circumferential surface of the seal ring197 to provide sealing between the two housings 110, 190.

A wire drawn out from a female housing may be shaken in a directionintersecting the longitudinal direction after the two housings areconnected. In this situation, a pulling force could act on a rear holderin the same direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. Theseforces could cause the rear holder to incline within the range of aclearance to the mounting portion and, in a worst case, interlockingportions could separate to unlock the rear holder. However, according tothis embodiment, the dovetail engagement of the leading-end widened ribs164 and the recesses 137 in radial directions hold the rear holder 150and the mounting portion 115 in close contact even if a pulling forceacts on the rear holder 150.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the detachment of therear holder 150 from the mounting portion 115 is hindered by thedovetail engagement of the leading-end widened ribs 164 and the recesses137. Thus, the seal ring 197 cannot inadvertently come out of themounting portion 115. Additionally, the leading-end widened ribs 164 areformed up to the back wall 153. Thus, a shaking force of the wire W issuppressed at a shake supporting part of the wire W, and detachment ofthe rear holder 150 is hindered.

The surrounding wall 154 of the rear holder 150 is a substantiallycylindrical tube. The leading-end widened ribs 164 are on the innercircumferential surface of the surrounding wall 154 where they cannot beseen from the outside, and the mounting operation of the rear holder 150is stopped if the rear holder 150 is rotated about its central axis froma proper rotational alignment. However, according to this embodiment,the recessed grooves 165 are formed at positions on the outercircumferential surface of the surrounding wall 154 corresponding to theleading-end widened ribs 164. The recessed grooves function as markersfor positioning upon mounting the rear holder 150. In other words, therear holder 150 can be mounted in a proper posture on the mountingportion 115 by starting the mounting operation of the rear holder 150 ina state where the recessed grooves 165 and the recesses 137 align.

The recessed grooves 165 are formed back-to-back with the leading-endwidened ribs 164. Thus, parts of the surrounding wall 154 where theleading-end widened ribs 164 are formed are not excessively thickened,and surface sinks will not occur. Furthermore, the inner fitting 158 ofthe rear holder 150 is fit into the mounting portion 115. Thus, even ifthe wire W is shaken a large amount, the inner fitting 158 and themounting portion 115 are engaged with each other in a shaking directionintersecting the longitudinal direction and the inner fitting 158 iscaught by the mounting portion 115. Therefore the detachment of the rearholder 150 is prevented reliably.

The tower 113 and the receptacle 191 may be displaced relative to eachother due to dimensional tolerances and the like or their relativepositions may change due to an external force in the connected state ofthe female and male housings 110, 190. However, the projecting ends ofthe ribs 193 and the irregularly shaped ribs 120 can be brought reliablyinto contact with each other since the irregularly shaped ribs 120include circumferentially extending parts (e.g. receiving bases 122B)and can support the ribs 193 within their formation ranges. As a result,a shake that can occur between the two housings 110, 120 can besuppressed. Further, in this case, the irregularly shaped ribs 120project from the tower 113 towards the receptacle 191 and the ribs 193project from the receptacle 191 towards the tower 113. Thus, theprojecting distance of the irregularly shaped ribs 120 can be suppressedas compared to the case where the ribs project from only one of thetower 113 and the receptacle 191. As a result, the strength of the ribsis increased and they are less likely to break.

Further, since the irregularly shaped ribs 120 include the T-shaped ribs122 each comprised of the supporting strut 122A and the receiving base122B. Thus, an sinks in the supporting struts 122A can be prevented evenif the formation ranges of the receiving bases 122B are enlarged.

The invention is not limited to the above described and illustratedembodiments. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced bythe technical scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention as definedby the claims.

Although the rear holder is provided with the tube in the firstembodiment, it may not be provided with the tube. In this case, the mainbody of the seal may closely contact the inner circumferential surfaceof the wire insertion hole in the back wall of the rear holder.

Although the seal is made of rubber in the first embodiment, it may bemade of gel or any other resilient material according to the presentinvention.

The invention is also applicable to the case where a seal is fit atleast partly into a rear part of a male housing for accommodating a maleterminal fitting and a rear holder is mounted thereon.

Contrary to the second embodiment, the recesses may be formed in theinner circumferential surface of the surrounding wall of the rear holderand the leading-end widened ribs may be formed on the outercircumferential surface of the mounting portion.

Contrary to the second embodiment, the ribs may be formed on the outercircumferential surface of the tower and the leading-end widenedportions may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of thereceptacle.

Although the leading-end widened ribs are dovetail ribs and the recessesare dovetail recesses in the second embodiment, it is sufficient for theleading-end widened ribs and the recesses to be able to provide dovetailengagements. For example, it does not matter even if the leading-endwidened ribs have a T-shaped cross section.

Although the leading-end widened portions and the projecting portionsare formed to extend in forward and backward directions, respectively,as the irregularly shaped ribs and the ribs in the second embodiment, itis sufficient for them to be arranged at positions where they can bebrought into contact with each other when the female and male housingsare connected properly according to the invention, and the leading-endwidened portions and the projections may be formed as mere projections.

1. A connector, comprising: a housing (10) with an opening (15) definingan interior of the housing (10); at least one terminal fitting (30)accommodated in the housing (10); a wire (W) connected with the terminalfitting (30); at least one seal (98) mounted on the wire (W) and fitinto the opening (15) in the housing (10) for sealing the interior ofthe housing (10); and a holder (50) mounted on the housing (10) andformed with at least one wire insertion hole (55) for receiving the wire(W), the holder (50) being configured to press the seal (98) forpreventing the seal (98) from coming out; wherein the seal (98) has amain body (96) and at least one shake preventing portion (94) arrangedone after the other in forward and backward directions (FBD), the mainbody (96) closely contacting an outer circumferential surface of thewire (W) and an inner circumferential surface of the opening (15), theshake preventing portion (94) closely contacting the outercircumferential surface of the wire (W) and an inner circumferentialsurface of the wire insertion hole (55) of the holder (50).
 2. Theconnector of claim 1, wherein the holder (50) has a substantiallytubular portion (56) with the wire insertion hole (55) inside andprojecting substantially backward, and the shake preventing portion (94)closely contacting the inner circumferential surface of the wireinsertion hole (55) in the tubular portion (56).
 3. The connector ofclaim 2, wherein the inner circumferential surface of the wire insertionhole (55) in the tubular portion (56) is tapered towards a rear end ofthe tubular portion (56), and the outer circumferential surface of theshake preventing portion (94) is tapered substantially in conformitywith the inner surface of the wire insertion hole (55).
 4. The connectorof claim 1, wherein the main body (96) of the seal (98) has a thicknessto substantially fill up a space between the outer circumferentialsurface of the wire (W) and the inner circumferential surface of themounting portion (15) and has lips (93) on inner and outercircumferential surfaces thereof.
 5. The connector of claim 1, whereinthe shake preventing portion (94) has substantially flat inner and outercircumferential surfaces.
 6. A connector, comprising: a housing (110)with an opening (15) defining an interior of the housing (10); at leastone terminal fitting (30) accommodated in the housing (10); a wire (W)connected with the terminal fitting (30); at least one seal (98) mountedon the wire (W) and fit into the opening (15) in the housing (10) forsealing the interior of the housing (10); and a holder (150) having acap shape with a back wall (153) and a surrounding wall (154) projectingforward from the back wall (153), the holder (150) being mountable on amounting portion (115) of the housing (110) from a mounting side, theback wall (153) being formed with at least one wire insertion hole (155)for receiving the wire (W) drawn out from the housing (110); at leastone leading-end widened rib (164) extending in substantially forward andbackward directions (FBD) on one of an inner circumferential surface ofthe surrounding wall (154) and an outer circumferential surface of themounting portion (115), the leading-end widened rib (164) having aleading end wider than a base end; and at least one recess (137) on theother of the inner circumferential surface of the surrounding wall (154)and the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion (115) at aposition substantially corresponding to the leading-end widened rib(164), the recess (137) having a shape corresponding to the leading-endwidened rib (164) for dovetail engagement therewith.
 7. The connector ofclaim 6, wherein one of the leading-end widened rib (164) and the recess(137) extends substantially up to the back wall (153) of the holder(150).
 8. The connector of claim 6, wherein: the surrounding wall (154)of the holder (150) is substantially cylindrical, the leading-endwidened rib (164) is provided on the inner circumferential surface ofthe surrounding wall (154), and at least one recessed groove (165) isformed in the outer circumferential surface of the surrounding wall(154) at a position substantially having a back-to-back relationshipwith the leading-end widened rib (164).
 9. The connector of claims 6,wherein the mounting portion (115) is substantially tubular and has anopen rear surface.
 10. The connector of claim 9, wherein the back wall(153) of the holder (150) has an inner fitting (158) to be fit into themounting portion (115) while holding the mounting portion (115) in athickness direction together with the surrounding wall (154).